Return to sender
by Sapphire1112
Summary: One shot. After her training, Nikki chose to leave Africa again and practise in England, but if her ex Anton Radebe came over to take her back? Would she go - and what would Jack make of Anton? I do not own the characters.


Jack stomped into his office and collapsed into his chair, passing on the way, a shocked Clarissa and Thomas who were having a discussion in the next door lab. He was slouched and looked upset and _very_ fed up.

"Ok. What's up with you?" Clarissa asked him.

" _He's_ going to take her _back_ with him." Jack muttered, his downcast eyes staring down at his desk.

" _Who_ and _who_?!" Clarissa pressed him, not understanding.

" _Anton_ is going to take _Nikki_." Jack picked up a stray pen off his desk and muttered again. "He's going to take her back to South Africa with him and we will _never_ see her again." He raised his voice at the end of the sentence and threw the pen at the wall in his frustration. Jack had a slight tendency to over-dramatise when he was this upset.

" _Nikki_ said that, did she?" Thomas quizzed as he and Clarissa moved a bit nearer the dejected younger man.

"She didn't need too. Anton is doing that for her. He's been going on about it all day. Ever since he _got_ _here_ actually." He slammed his hand down on the desk, making them jump, before adding, "And Nikki _loves_ South Africa."

Clarissa sighed. "Well, _of_ _course_ she loves it - she grew up there, but that don't mean she's going to _go_ _back_ _with_ _him_ \- and as for never seeing her again..."

Thomas shook his head. _" She hasn't actually said 'yes'."_ He pointed out, loudly.

"Well, she didn't say 'No'!" Jack retorted, raising his voice louder than Thomas, as the distance voice of Anton became nearer. This disscussion was getting _heated_.

Nikki walked into the office. She looked even _more_ fed-up than Jack.

Anton was following her. "Come on, Nikki. You know you _want_ too. You don't belong here. You can have so much _more_ at the place in South Africa. And there's me. I'll give you _everything_ _you've ever_ _wanted_."

"I _highly_ doubt that." Nikki commented, finally bothering to answer him Jack, Clarissa and Thomas watched her, waiting.

"Oh, _come_ _on_ , Niks..." Anton began, but Nikki cut him off.

"...because I _already_ have everything I want."

" _Like what_?" He spluttered. Jack was beginning to hate this man even _more_ \- Anton clearly thought _they_ weren't good enough for her and Jack was _terrified_ in case he managed to persuade Nikki that he was right.

Jack needn't have worried. Nikki spun around to face Anton. "Jack. Clarissa. Thomas. The Lyell Centre. I don't _need_ anything else." She turned back, just in time to see Jack let out the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding in. Nikki smiled slightly before looking back at Anton briefly. "And I certainly don't need _you_ , Anton. I think you should go."

"Fine, I'll dropped by to see you later, before I get the plane." Anton told her. Jack dug his nails into the desk. This guy was not giving up. Jack wanted to hit him for trying to take Nikki away.

" _Don't bother_." Nikki snapped at Anton."Just get your plane...coffee, Jack?" She continued, without pausing. She turned back to Jack. Who seemed a bit lost for words, by this sudden turn of events.

"Er...yeah...please" He stammered.

Nikki smirked slightly at his surprise as the door slammed behind Anton. "Thomas? Clarissa?"

They both nodded and Nikki went over and put the kettle on, before turning around again. _"What?!"_ She remarked, slightly amused by the three shocked faces staring back at her.

Clarissa eventually broke the silence. "Jack was _convinced_ you would leave with Anton. He thought he'd _never_ _see_ _you_ _again_." She explained, enunciating the last sentence, to show Nikki just how upset Jack had been. "He nearly _broke his hand_ punching his desk and he _threw a pen_ at the wall."

Nikki glanced at Jack, who put his head down and stared at his desk again, embarrassed at how pathetic that now sounded. He should have _known_ that Clarissa would take _great_ _delight_ in telling Nikki how he had _'thrown his toys out of the pram'_ at the prospect of her leaving. Nikki walked over to him and squeezed his shoulders.

" _Why_ would I do that, eh?"

"He knows you like it over there." Thomas indicated Jack. who was going _very_ red in the face.

"Anton's been going _on_ and _on_ about it and you _didn't_ say _no_." Jack muttered.

Nikki sighed. "I _do_ like South Africa. I spent some of the _happiest_ times of my childhood over there, but _this_ is my home now - over here with you three, _ok_?" Jack nodded. Nikki continued."I was fed up with him going on about it, so I just _ignored_ him."

" _There_." Clarissa retorted, brightly. " We _told_ you, you had nothing to worry about!"


End file.
